Jesse O’Neill found a career in hospitality by chance – but he’s found his place in Canberra’s food and wine scene. Photo: Claire Sams.
Who are you?
My name is Jesse. I’ve been a chef for about 12 years, but I am currently the venue manager at Amici Wine Bar and the executive chef for Lala Hospitality. I do both jobs simultaneously, which is a lot of work but also a lot of fun.
What does your day-to-day look like?
Most days, I get to work about 8:30 am to 9 am and I make myself a coffee. I check our bookings and the online orders we have for the day [at Amici] before I go and do a lap around our other venues to see what’s going on for the day. Then, we do lunch and dinner service.
For lunch, I’m normally at Amici, but at dinner I’m running between our venues to do quality checks and making sure everything’s fine. We’re lucky enough that five of our six venues are in the Melbourne Building, and the other is 100 metres away. I just run around, which is good for my health and keeps me active.
Dine-in or order Amici’s menu for delivery or pick-up. Photo: Amici Bar/Facebook.
How did you get involved in the hospitality industry?
When I was growing up, cooking was one of the things I was always drawn to. My mother’s worked in hospitality for 20 years, and she’s always told me not to become a chef – but I didn’t listen, so here I am. I love cooking and serving people food; I love the experiences that come with serving people food.
I left school when I was 16 and started my chef’s apprenticeship in a cafe in Wagga Wagga. Three-and-a-half years later, I moved to Canberra.
What are the top three menu items that really show what your venue can do?
At Amici, we’re known for our hand-stretched pizzas. We probably do 80 to 100 a day and more on weekends. Another thing we’re known for is our cheese and charcuterie platters; there’s not a lot of cooking involved in those, but we source all the meat and cheese from suppliers in Australia, as well as places like Italy and France.
If you got to Bleachers Sports Bar, you can’t go past our fried chicken – it’s amazing – and our chicken wings are something else we’re known for there.
What is your favourite or must-use ingredient when cooking?
I love garlic, I love chilli, butter, parmesan cheese and salt. They’re staples, but they bring a lot of flavour.
What is Canberra’s best-kept food secret?
It’s not a secret, but Bar Rochford will always be one of my favourite bars to go to. Raku is no hidden gem, but it’s another incredible place. I’ve never had a bad meal there and the service is always amazing.
One amazing place that Canberra used to have was Church Neighbourhood Goods cafe and shop. Unfortunately, they’re closed now, but that was a hidden gem; that was a skater cafe and hospo venue.
Amici brings together pizza, pasta and deli items with some good drinks. Photo: Amici Bar/Facebook.
What TV show or movie are you watching right now?
A lot of the time it’s a cooking channel – and lot of Anthony Bourdain. That’s just a constant in our household! It’s a good way to keep your brain switched on and thinking about food and food combinations.
What is your comfort food?
We cook a lot of Italian food – it’s always easy to throw together a pasta or make a pizza. I am a big fan of Mexican food, and I love tacos.
When I have the time, I love to do some basic French dishes to remind me of my time at OTIS Dining Hall – but it ends up being a half-day of cooking, so you need to make the time and space. One of my favourite French things to make is a crème caramel – it’s a crème brûlée but upside-down. It’s a very technical thing to make, but it is always fun when you turn them upside down and they look perfect.
Where do you dine out for special occasions?
A lot of the time, I’ll go to one of our bars because I know the guys. I haven’t had many opportunities to try anything new, but my wife and I always enjoy going to Bar Rochford for dinner.
Who do you admire in the Canberra food scene?
Lorenzo Focarile is our operating manager across all six bars and is a big inspiration for me. Josh Lundy is a chef at Bar Rochford, and he’s really good. In terms of bartenders, Rowan Walsh [Lala Hospitality’s general manager] and Nate at Cabo are excellent.
An easy one to finish – what’s your go-to coffee order?
First thing in the morning, I’ll have a piccolo latte, and throughout the day, I’ll probably drink five or six iced lattes. I am a big coffee drinker!
Amici Wine Bar and Deli is located at 59 Northbourne Avenue and is open 11 am to 11 pm Monday to Friday, 11 am to 1 am Saturday and 11 am to 8 pm Sunday.
As well as Amici, Lala Hospitality has five other venues in Civic: Cabo, 88 mph, Molly, Bleachers Sports Bar and Highball. Check out their website for locations and opening times.
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